Fleeing in Panic

"Come on! No one can stop me!"

Hades laughed boldly, the aura faintly radiating from him seeming stronger than ever.

He leaped into the jungle to find his target.

"I'm off too, Queen!"

Titan followed close behind, though he veered in a slightly different direction. Hades's growth over the past few days had been astonishing, and it had put some pressure on him.

Hades was everything to him. Protecting Hades was his duty, and Hades's orders were absolute.

Now Hades had already caught up to him in strength.

As the destined ruler, Hades should be stronger than him.

But if Titan fell too far behind and could no longer keep pace with Hades's growth, how could he continue to stand by Hades's side?

Several uninvited guests had now arrived on Rusukaina Island, the Beast Island.

They had yet to draw the attention of its powerful giant beasts, but they were bound to stir things up.

"Burst Step!"

"Eight Extremes: Falcon Hunt!"

Hades exploded forward at astonishing speed, his hands curled into claws as he struck at his target: a giant python.

Sensing danger, the python flicked its tongue and twisted aside, dodging the attack.

Its cold eyes fixed on Hades. Then it moved swiftly, coiling its body to crush him.

"Wandering Dragon!"

Hades slipped through the gap before the python could close its coils around him. It looked easy, but the danger was real: the instant he escaped, its gaping jaws snapped at where he had been.

Man and python clashed fiercely.

The wild beasts of Kronos Kingdom were in a different league from those on this island.

Even a wild beast encountered at random was a formidable opponent.

Hades had defeated the Pteranodon by using his speed in the air, but against a python with exceptional reflexes, that advantage was far less decisive.

Their struggle was especially fierce at close quarters, with Hades's Wandering Dragon pitted against the python's instinctive lunges and coils.

Unlike the python, Hades was consciously honing his combat skills. He drew insights from the movements of wild beasts to refine his system of Body Techniques.

For Titan, though, there was only fighting. He fought without pause, carrying weights like Hades's—and even heavier ones.

He challenged wild beast after wild beast to grow stronger.

Then he ate them.

There was an intense hunger in Titan's eyes, perhaps the instinct of Gluttony from the Gluttonous Beast Fruit.

To him, those wild beasts were nothing but food. Eating them would make him stronger.

He could absorb substances from their bones, incorporating them into his own body to strengthen his skeleton.

Even their auras could intensify the ferocity of his own.

With that goal in mind, Titan set out on his campaign.

Titan fought in a straightforward manner. His battles did not look as perilous as Hades's.

With monstrous defenses fortified by numerous rare metals, he charged straight at any wild beast he saw. Even with Armament Haki, many could not break through his defenses.

Their strength and the quality of their Armament Haki simply were not enough.

And even if they did break through, they inflicted only minor wounds, which the Gluttonous Beast Fruit let him heal quickly.

By devouring a few wild beast carcasses, Titan could swiftly convert them into energy and vitality to replenish what he had spent.

Hades's development of life-draining powers for the Death-Death Fruit had been inspired by Titan's ability.

With that ability alone, Titan could practically fight forever and wear his opponents to death.

And that was exactly what happened. Titan defeated one wild beast after another, filling him with confidence.

Unaware of just how dangerous the island could be, he thought its wild beasts, though frightening, were ultimately nothing special.

Brimming with confidence, Titan pushed deeper into Rusukaina Island, only to stumble into a battlefield where two Beast Kings were fighting.

His sudden arrival caught the attention of both Beast Kings. They had already cleared the area, yet someone had dared to remain.

As one, the two behemoths unleashed terrifying Armament Haki. Their immense Haki spilled outward, battering Titan before he could even get close.

The shockwave from their clashing Haki left Titan dizzy and even injured him internally.

Terrified, Titan fled at once.